Trump appoints John Kelly as new chief of staff (Lead)

Washington, July 29 (IANS) US President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that General John Kelly, the current Homeland Security secretary, is replacing Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff.

“I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F. Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American … and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration,” Efe news quoted President as saying in a series of tweets on Friday.

A Marine, Kelly served in the military for nearly five decades and served in positions including chief of Southern Command and senior assistant to the secretary of defence, CNN reported.

He also worked as a legislative liaison to Congress and served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His son, Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2010.

Trump also thanked Priebus for his service.

“We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!”

In response to the replacement, Priebus told CNN in an interview on Friday evening: “The President wanted to go a different direction…A President has a right to hit a reset button. I think it’s a good time to hit the reset button. I think he was right to hit the reset button.”

“I’m always going to be a Trump fan.

“I’m on Team Trump and I look forward to helping him achieve his goals and his agenda for the American people.”

In his interview with CNN, Priebus said he submitted his resignation to the President privately on Thursday.

Priebus’ 189-day tenure as chief of staff is the shortest in modern presidential history

The departure of Priebus comes a week after Sean Spicer quit as Trump’s spokesman in reaction to the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as White House director of communications.

Since taking the job, Scaramucci has feuded publicly with Priebus and with Steve Bannon, a senior adviser to Trump, denouncing both men in a profanity-laced tirade to a reporter.